People

Tracy van Straaten has been promoted to v-p, executive director of publicity, at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing group. She had been director of publicity.

Alicia Brooks, who was most recently an editor at Picador and St. Martin's Press, has joined the agency as a literary agent. Brooks's appointment will heighten the agency's focus on domestic projects.

Ellen Faran, director of MIT Press, has been named chair of Beacon Press's board of advisers, effective July 25. She succeeds John Ryden, who will remain on the board.

Marvel Enterprises has extended the contract of Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief of its Marvel Comics division. Quesada has also been named chief creative officer for publishing.

Jackie Cantor, most recently v-p and executive editor at the Bantam Dell Publishing Group, will join Berkley August 1 as executive editor, acquiring fiction and nonfiction.

Cindy Games has been named to head the Thomas Nelson division as associate publisher. Games has been a Cool Spring consultant since 2000.

Jim Pentecost has joined Dickinson Press as president and CEO. Before moving to the book manufacturer, Pentecost had headed Vertis, a national printer of advertising products.

Alaine Borgias has joined Unbridled Books as publicity and marketing assistant. She has been with Village Books in Bellingham, Wash., where she will be based.

Cary Johnson has been named sales director, working out of Nashville, Tenn. In her 30-year career, Johnson has been a bookseller and a sales rep.